Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The kitchen redo is done...time to celebrate!!! It is gorgeous and well worth the dust and mess. We have also redone the upstairs spare bedroom...I painted the green wood lamps and chair a nice garnet red....(well I had left over wall paint...shrug) and I got a pretty red, cream and chocolate brown striped bedspread and new tag drapes in cream....it looks bright and cheery in there.The family room down stairs is looking nice too, since we sold the poker table and moved the tread mill to that location. I got garnet red slip covers and two leather ottoman/tray tables for a coffee table and it is also bright and cheery there too.

soooo, the decorating is over for a bit.

My CPA (citizens police academy) classes are still going....this week will be #9 of 12...I am really learning a lot and having fun at the same time. A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to shoot weapons at the PD range. the standard police issue handgun was fun...but the grip was too large for my hand and it was difficult to hold...the semi automatic machine gun was really fun....(it is the same type that the Navy Seals use)it could shoot single shot, a short burst and then a full burst...fun fun fun. The gun I didn't like shooting was the short barrel 12 gage shot gun...it kicked really hard and my shoulder was bruised for over a week and tender. Dallas took advantage of my new interest in guns to take me to the gun shop....and I now am the owner of a Walther, Smith&Wesson PPKS...38. It fits my hand and also Dallas is comfortable with it too.We plan to go target shooting to get more comfortable with it. We also will take the CCW...(concealed carry weapons) course next month....and get the permit. I want to take it for the knowledge of safe firearms use and not to carry the gun as it will be staying at home most of the time.

Last week we got to see the K-9 unit in action...oh wow...that was really something!!!!

Last week I hosted book club and that was a lot of fun too. Dallas is working 3-12 shift now so I have my evenings to myself. I am really changing my schedule around so that I can spend time with him in the mornings and then doing my chores after he goes to work...so far so good.

Today, I decided to make a decoration for Halloween. I bought a foam pumpkin and painted it and cut out the top and put some flowers inside with a crow perched on top...quirky...I know but fit the mood I was in. I am also posting Hester the witch I made two years ago since this is October and it is almost Halloween.

Ties that Bind project

My Blog List

Biting the bullet

OK, I am now doing something I said I would never do and that is create my own blog. What to do? I keep an art journal, and have done so for years but this will be a bit different. I must keep this "clean" and nice and not rant and rave if I am upset...or maybe I can but in a nice way...smile.
Please be patient with me as I get the hang of how to organize this space to be easy to navigate and fun and useful.
Please feel free to have me add your blogs to my list...and to make comments and suggestions...heck, if I don't like your suggestions, I will write about you on a future entry...LOL

A busy past few weeks

The progressive dinner was a total hit. Great food, and company. Next the focus turned to getting some items ready for a juried art show in Kettering. I submitted two items this past Saturday and will keep my fingers crossed that they make it into the show at the end of February.
Now a bit about the weather....our nice mild winter has changed course. We are in the second week of single digit temperatures with lows dropping into the sub zeros during the night. Yesterday, I had no water in the laundry room and had to call the repair man. There seems to be a leak from the outside into the house and the frigid air has caused one of the pipes to freeze. Two huge holes into the drywall allowed enough room for a hair dryer to thaw out the pipe. The dry wall will be repaired under warranty along with the leak....once the temperatures warm up enough for the seal to stick.
Today we had 5 inches of snow in addition to the frigid cold wind and temperatures.... It is so OHIO.

When it is sub zero outside, one must make art

this piece began with masking tape and water color sprays, then a few coats of acrylic floor wax. The main image was stamped with Stazon ink onto deli paper and adhered with gel medium. other images were added for an overall pattern and a final coat of matt gel medium. It measures 5 x 12 inches.

Imagine

water color/ink

Aborigine Art Style

I saw half naked people, with paint, and black eyes, sitting around a fire and heard wild animals and the rustling of brush and leaves and felt the smoke and dust as the wind blew.......it was a dream I had had for several nights during the last few weeks and so I set out to search Google on the pc to see if I could come up with the trigger for these dreams.
I came across a site for Aborigine Art and felt compelled to look at painting after painting. The simplistic style mixed with earth tone colors or very loud and bright colors and wavey designs caught my eye. Many of these paintings looked like the doodles I do in my art journal to fill up white space, yet, each painting represented a moment the artist had shared with nature.... the titles were simple too.
I wanted to try to make my own painting using the same style and Bird in Nest is my first interpretation of this style.

Tried Something New

Bird in Nest

I made some art today

Having the need to keep my art room fairly neat due to a social function in a week, I also had the need to make some art and the art won out.
This is an ATC I made as a thank you for a special Diva I know and it will be mailed off tomorrow. This Diva has all these qualities and more.

What is a Diva Queen?

Awareness

Last summer, I saw a campaign to send away for a bracelet to make and wear to bring awareness to the causes of cervical cancer. I had forgotten all about it until the bead kit arrived today. Now I will wear this as a reminder to let every, sexually active young woman know that some causes of cerviacl cancer can be prevented with proper precautions.

Making The Connection

campaign to fight cervical cancer

Crow Gothic

This will be the back page to a bird swap, chunky page book. It still needs some tweaking but it shows a good idea of what I want it to end up looking like.

page for Chunky book

the back page...Crow Gothic

Finished Christmas Gift

A friend sent me this Frida puzzle for Christmas. I love to put puzzles together...they help me think....and when done, I seal, frame and hang them in my rec room...which I have dubbed....The Louvre. This puzzle took me 5 days to complete as I had to work into the wee hours of the morning. The dark colors were the hardest but it was a challenge and in a way, I still consider it mixed media.